Our reader Henry has sent along a thought-provoking item about a mechanism by which complex systems can bootstrap themselves into existence: autocatalytic sets. The idea is particularly intriguing in its metaphorical generality, and its applicability may well extend beyond chemistry to social and political domains as well.
Have a look. An explanatory article is here, the scientific paper mentioned in the article is here, and a Wikipedia entry on the subject is here.
2 Comments
Autocatalytic? So that’s what catalytic converters are for!
Jeffery Hodges
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Yes, Jeffery. That’s what they’re for.